Trials rarely come with a warning sign, though it would be nice if they did. And when these trials hit us, sometimes they test the strength of our testimony.
That's why it's important to maintain an "eternal vision" as Elder Robert D. Hales counsels and be ready for these important tests from our Heavenly Father.
And in a recent Facebook post, Elder Hales shared how we can better prepare and endure our trials.
We are taught in the scriptures that there must be opposition in all things (see 2 Nephi 2:11). It is not a question of if we are ready for the tests; it is a matter of when. We must prepare to be ready for tests that will present themselves without warning.
The basic requirements for enduring to the end include knowing who we are, children of God with a desire to return to His presence after mortality; understanding the purpose of life, to endure to the end and obtain eternal life; and living obediently with a desire and a determination to endure all things, having eternal vision. Eternal vision allows us to overcome opposition in our temporal state and, ultimately, achieve the promised rewards and blessings of eternal life.
If we are patient in our afflictions, endure them well, and wait upon the Lord to learn the lessons of mortality, the Lord will be with us to strengthen us unto the end of our days: “He that shall [faithfully] endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Mark 13:13) and return with honor to our Heavenly Father.